Since playing cards (for example, poker playing cards) can be personalized on both the back and face of the card, they provide a great opportunity for a unique fundraising campaign that can be effectively combined with complementary fundraising events. . Since custom playing cards are associated with fun and entertainment, the positive impressions fans associate with their use will reflect positively on a nonprofit organization’s brand. Playing cards also have a relatively long lifespan, assuming of course that the playing cards don’t get lost! As a result, supporters will have repeated reminders from the organization each time they use the cars, while also providing the nonprofit organization with additional exposure to other game participants.

There are essentially two types of custom playing cards. Some vendors will only personalize the back of each card, while others offer the option to personalize both sides of the cards. While single-sided personalized cards are less expensive, they don’t provide the same fundraising opportunities. With custom double-sided playing cards, a nonprofit can place their logo (or their event’s logo) on the back of all the cards in a deck (since all backs must be the same) while selling ad space on the obverse of each card. Because playing cards are printed on full-size sheets before being cut into individual cards, the face of each individual card can be uniquely customized, typically at no incremental cost. Setup costs to personalize the front of one card or all cards with one logo or all cards with different logos will be approximately the same. The caveat is that any special artwork used must be provided in production-ready formats acceptable to the vendor (usually using Adobe Illustrator). If a new piece of art must be developed or an existing piece of art modified, additional costs may be incurred.

To maximize the potential of this fundraising idea, nonprofit organizations sell the ad space on the front of the 52 cards (plus 2 jokers, usually) to companies and individual sponsors. With 54 cards, a nominal fee of $100 can generate $5,200 in revenue. Typically, only a fraction of this revenue will be required to cover the setup costs of personalized cards.

Once the cards are printed, organizations can sell the individual decks to fans and community members for up to 100% profit, depending on the number of decks purchased. Supporters of retail businesses can also be asked to sell the covers at local stores to further increase sales. Sales can also be directed at card clubs, as well as local bars that host Texas Hold ‘Em games. Taking pre-orders can help limit risks by establishing a baseline for orders; however, organizations must plan for additional production for post-production sales.

The cost of custom playing cards will vary depending on the number of cards printed, as well as the specific style of playing cards chosen and packaging options. Orders of 1,000 decks or more will result in lower costs and a more reasonable resale price. As a general example, 1,000 custom decks in printed packs at a resale price of around $7 per deck can produce approximately $3,500 in profit. Actual costs may be higher or lower depending on the specific card type, packaging, printing colors and other factors. When combined with revenue from ad sales, a Custom Playing Card fundraising campaign has the potential to generate substantial revenue for the organization.

Additionally, the Custom Playing Cards campaign can be combined with a Casino Night Event or Texas Hold ‘Em Event to further leverage playing card sales and earn incremental revenue from these popular events.